To do Once More, Not Same as Before
by White Lily of Wutai
Summary: Or, in which Cloud is a time-traveler from the end of the world, Ms. Strife is an ex-Turk with connections and information on Shinra, and Vincent spends his entire time somewhere between confused and very, very scared. Not that it shows too much. Not at all. (Time-travel AU, not quite canon, warnings at the beginning of every chapter.)
1. Awake

**Well, welcome to the new story. This has actually been bouncing around in my head for a while now, and I'm happy I'm far enough ahead in _Mage's Pride_ to actually begin working on this. Updates will be on Thursdays, every week, excluding weeks I forget or am too tired/sick/behind to update on time.**

**Please read and review!**

**Word count: 1331**

**Trigger warnings: Some harsh language. **

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**Chapter 1: Awake**

Vincent was awakened by a rather abrupt series of knocks on the lid of his coffin.

The first set he wrote of as things falling from the ceiling: in an old building like Nibelheim's Shinra Manor, that wasn't really an uncommon thing.

The second set he wrote off as monsters, possibly the small, bomb-shaped ones he remembered from when he was an active Turk at the manor.

The third set was accompanied by a very snappish, "Would you wake the fuck up already?!" And Vincent couldn't really write that one off.

"Seriously, Vincent Valentine," the voice continued. "I don't have that much time in here, so the sooner you wake your ass up the better." The speaker sounded childish, but eerily familiar, like the younger, male version of someone Vincent once knew.

And hoped to Gaia wasn't still alive. _That_ woman was _terrifying_.

"Whoever you are, leave me be," Vincent commanded, closing his eyes and hoping to lapse back into whatever sleep he'd been in for the past Gaia-knows how long. There was a stretch of some-what silence, filled with the sounds of someone (or something) rooting around, accompanied by a number of crashes, before the speaker was back.

"Vincent, I'm not even kidding. Ma will beat _my_ ass for being home late to dinner,- on stew night, no less- then beat _your_ ass for making me late. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd rather go to bed tonight free of any maternal-rage-induced injuries." There was a joking lilt to the voice, but at the same time, Vincent knew the speaker was being serious.

So, after a moment's consideration, Vincent blew off the lid to his coffin, sending it flying across the room and startling whoever had woken him.

A boy with almost golden blonde hair stared up at him from where he had landed on the ground in his shock, vibrant blue eyes blinking rapidly. Vincent tucked his face into the collar of his cloak and resisted the urge to smirk.

"Was that even necessary?" The blonde grumbled after a moment, picking himself up off the dirty floor and dusting himself off. His rhetorical question was followed by a number of curses and what sounded like, "Oh, Ma's gonna kill me now." Vincent was almost impressed by the child's litany of words to use to describe one's _highly_ unlikely origins.

"It's sounds to me like your mother wasn't to fond of the idea of you coming up here to… er… fetch me?" Vincent wondered, lifting himself from the coffin. The kid snorted, shaking his head in a way that made his blonde spikes bounce comically.

"Nope!" He proclaimed happily. "Not in the slightest. But she promised that if I could make it to the manor, wake you up, and be back down to the house with you in tow in under two hours, she wouldn't say a word about it ever again. The name's Cloud, by the way. I keep forgetting people don't know me anymore."

"Cloud," Vincent parroted, a bit confused, following the boy out of the manor through one of the service tunnels that ran underneath. There were a few monsters, nothing that Cloud couldn't take out with a few deft shots before Vincent could even draw his gun properly.

Vincent was beginning to believe Cloud truly did have training from someone, and his style with a gun unrefined and looking like that of one far more comfortable with a sword but was also pointing towards someone Vincent sincerely hoped wasn't it.

They were reaching the end of the tunnel, a bit of the pale mountain light- that mostly came from sunlight reflecting off of snow- finally reaching Vincent for the first time in two decades, when the ex-Turk asked, "And if you couldn't make it back in two hours?"

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"Well, let's just say I'd probably never hear the end of it."

They made it to Cloud's house with three minutes and forty-five seconds to spare. A new record for Cloud, personally, considering everything he had to do up there. But he wasn't really too concerned with setting any personal records at the time.

Cloud hesitated for the slightest of moments, bracing himself for the Hel that was likely to be unleashed upon him, before he pushed open the door to the tiny Strife Family abode and stepped inside, not even sparing a backwards glance to make sure that Vincent was following.

The inside of the house was wonderfully warm: a fire burning in its place, rugs covering near every inch of floor, overflowing bookshelves lining almost all the wallspace. It wasn't a large house by any means,- it was but three main rooms on the ground floor and a loft above where Cloud and his mother slept- but it was enough for the two of them.

Marian Strife sat calmly in her rocking chair before the fire, back to the door and knitting. Cloud didn't even try to sneak past her. It wouldn't do much good; he'd tested _that_ already.

"I'm back, Ma."

There was a shift in the woman's golden head that told Cloud she had acknowledged him, but the rocking of her chair didn't even stutter, nor did the clickity-clack of her bone knitting needles.

"And Vincent's with me?" Cloud tried. The rocking of Mrs. Strife's chair finally came to a halt. She placed her knitting in the basket beside her calmly and stood.

Vincent felt his breath catch in his throat when the woman turned around. Oh, shit. It _was _her. Or, at the very least someone who was an exact replica of her.

Ave Maria, the finest Turk ever to live, the only Turk to up and vanish without a single trace of where she had gone; and not for the lack of seeking her out on Shinra's part. She'd been Legend's former partner and one of the few who knew every secret that Shinra had to hide at the time- and almost no doubt knew all of the companies current skeletons. Of course they had tried- and failed rather thoroughly- to find her and bring her back.

But she had been gone, without even a trace of her left in any archive or book or register. Just a ghost of a memory in the minds of the few people who'd had the luxury of working with her and an urban legend of her lingering behind to frighten young Turks. A legend of a woman so fierce she'd brought President Shinra himself to his knees, back when President Shinra was still a warrior of a man building a budding company. A legend of a woman that made even the strongest fear the slightest mention of the name Ave Maria, that scared younger Turks from ever taking upon themselves such a weighty title.

A legend of a powerful woman. A legend of an executioner.

But there she stood, in all her 5'1, sand-colored skin, blonde-haired glory, blue eyes sparking like twin sapphires.

"Hello, Valentine." Calm. Collected. A bit hoarse, but probably from raising the little blonde devil that was likely her kid. Said little demon that was standing just as serenely at her shoulder, her spitting image if he only had the bust and lengthy hair.

Vincent couldn't tell if he was frightened or giddy, though neither emotion showed.

"Hello, Maria."

Calm. Collected. Cool. Just the greeting of two Turks (ex-Turks) at the dawn of something greater. It happened all the time, often without either party knowing. But both of them knew this time. It was as though they could feel it; the Fate's converging in that tiny house in the tiny reactor town of Nibelheim.

The greeting of two Turks at the dawn of something greater. Together with the boy who was the _past-present-future_, they would change the world. The last time, Nibelheim was the beginning of the end.

This time, NIbelheim would only be the end of the beginning.


	2. Ultima

**Happy new year! Here's chapter two!**

**Word count: 1,207**

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**Chapter 2: Ultima**

Marian Strife served dinner and tea as she caught Vincent up with all that had changed during his slumber. Vincent's assessment of her had been almost correct: she was still mostly privy to Shinra's secrets, but now there were places she couldn't touch without raising suspicion. She had so many contacts, but they could only go so far, do so much, before their usefulness expired. After all, most of these contacts were just ordinary people within the ranks selling what little they knew to an "anonymous buyer" that changed every few days. They weren't trained spies taught to observe the most minute of details, to read between the lines and see what most would overlook.

But, for her sake as well as Cloud's, Marian needed that kind of insider.

"Why would Cloud need that kind of information?" Vincent asked, waving off the young man's offer of more tea. He watched the younger man carefully as Cloud walked around the table to extend the same offer of tea to Marian. Something about the blonde boy unsettled Vincent. No, _unsettled _wasn't the correct term. The boy's very presence… _stirred_ Chaos, but not in an angry way. It was more… _intrigued_. And felt as though he was _familiar_.

"What are you?"

Cloud look up at Vincent from where he was pouring his mother's tea. He knew the question would be coming. Nothing he hadn't spent the last twelve years preparing for.

"I'm Cloud Strife. In five days, this body will turn fourteen, at which point I will leave Nibelheim to enlist in Shinra's SOLDIER program. My mind, however, will turn forty-two. Roughly."

"You are not as you appear to be," Vincent grumbled- as much as a stoic man like him _could _grumble. "That much is clear. I meant, what _are _you. You do not read as human, nor SOLDIER, nor Turk, nor any kind of man or beast I have come across, but it's as though-" Cloud cut him off with three clipped words.

"I am Ultima."

Vincent's mouth snapped shut rather quickly for the composed man. Perhaps the calmness they always saw from him came from his experience socializing with AVALANCHE members, and not naturally? Or, perhaps Vincent was simply out of his element? Unlikely but not impossible. After all, host of the Herald of Chaos had only woken but mere hours ago. It was a lot to spring on him in such a short time. Perhaps that also explained his uncommon wordiness? It was odd to hear the normally-silent man speak so much.

The Planet might have changed a lot when She sent Cloud back, but he liked to think She hadn't changed his friends too much. Otherwise this was going to be really awkward.

"I'm certain Chaos can tell you exactly what I mean," Cloud said pointedly, earning him a flinch from the red-eyed man. A moment of silence stretched between the three people, filled only with the cracking of the fire and the howl of the storm outside.

Vincent poked at Chaos in an almost agitated manner, waking the demon easily.

_Who is this boy?_

_**Ultima. **_Chaos's… voice?... was bland. And vaguely tired.

_So he says. _Vincent snarked. _I need to know more._

_**It's not my place to share.**_

_He told me to ask you._

_**And I'm telling you to get it from him. **_Chaos snapped. He calmed himself, then continued. _**He was your friend once, and will be. Gaia has chosen him for a purpose, and she has chosen well. Now go back and talk with the Golden One, and leave me to my rest.**_

Cloud was standing by his mother's shoulder when Vincent opened his eyes again.

"Chaos is being… uncooperative," Vincent explained. Cloud hummed in acknowledgment. His mother gave him a knowing like before standing and giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead, a pap on the cheek.

"You boys talk it out, _Nibel_. I will be in the other room," she said. Cloud half-smiled appreciatively.

"Listening in, no doubt," he teased as he took her seat. She smirked back at him as she swept gracefully out of the room.

There was another short silence in the kitchen before Cloud began to speak. His voice was strained, with almost a nervous edge, but clear.

"We saved the Planet, Vincent. Or, we will save the Planet. Fourteen years and I still don't quite know how to word that.

It starts here, in Nibelheim. I was sixteen,- everyone thought I was eighteen at the time- a Shinra infantryman accompanying two SOLDIERs on a mission to examine the local reactor. Sephiroth was leading it. He's your son, by the way, but that's a story for another time. Anyway, we were on our way to examine the reactor, but the mission didn't..."

Cloud spoke, and Vincent listened. It seemed like an incredulous story and yet, somehow, Vincent knew it was true. He could not recall a single event that Cloud spoke of, but he… knew. Chaos rumbled in approval, sending waves of an almost… nostalgic feeling, like an old man remembering good times.

"We saved the world, Vincent. You, me, Tifa, AVALANCHE, the Turks. But we saved it too late." Cloud's face took on a kind of sad expression. "Geostigma came back with a vengeance, but this time it was… different. Rebounded almost the moment we cured it. Plants started dying, nothing would grow. And then- And then-" Cloud choked on a sob. Vincent stood up, alarmed, but Cloud pressed on.

"The dead started coming back. First small animals. We didn't even notice at the time, but now that I've had time to think about it, I don't know why we didn't. Then monsters wouldn't die unless you chopped them up into pieces. Then people." Vincent placed his human hand on the boy's- man's, _boy's?-_ shoulder. Cloud leaned into his touch. "Aerith said that Jenova had finally gained enough power to begin killing the Planet, that Jenova was winning and we couldn't stop it this time. She said the only way was to send one of us back- one of us, the Planet didn't have enough left to send all of us- to fix it.

And so I'm back. Gaia made me Her WEAPON, Her Ultima, and I've spent the last twelve years trying to prepare for this, for the future, for _changing_ the future, but… Well ,there's only so much a kid can do."

Cloud took a steadying breath, resting his head against the wood of the table. Vincent rubbed soothing circles into the blonde's back, at a loss as to what to do in a situation such as this. He was never the most… sociable of people, never the best at relating to other people's feelings, and spending a couple decades in a coffin certainly did not help in the matter. But what little he did seemed to ease some of Cloud's tension, if only a little bit.

Cloud sat up and gave Vincent a grateful smile, and Vincent decided to go out on a limb and trust him.

"So where do we start?"

The blonde gave him a surprised look, then smirked, and in that moment he looked so similar to his mother it almost sent chills down Vincent's spine.


	3. The Prelude to Boom

**Okay, new chapter! Not been feeling my best, but I will try my hardest to come up with a chapter for next week as well. Please R&amp;R!**

**Update: Thank you, Catcrazzed, for reminding me of where Junon and Costa are on the maps! **

**Word count: 1,232**

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**Chapter 3: The Prelude to Boom**

Vincent watched, intrigued, as Cloud wired up the explosives that were going to blow the Nibelheim reactor sky-high. Or, at the very least, this one particular part of it.

"Where did you learn how to do this, Cloud?" Vincent wondered, though he probably already knew the answer. All Turks had at least some training in the making and dismantling of explosives. Ave Maria wasn't the best at explosives when she was a Turk, but she could definitely do something like this, and no doubt knew it well enough to pass it on.

"Ma, mostly, though Reno did teach me a few handy tricks when we worked together." Cloud said this with a smirk, neatly twisting the copper frays of two wires together. The red numbers on the timer blinked to life, the little light they gave off almost completely washed out by the light of the Mako. He tucked it neatly beneath Jenova's containment tube then stood, brushing his hands off cheerfully. "There! Now it should go off when either of us sends the message! So long as we have signal, of course."

"You don't intend to blow her up now?" Vincent wondered, tapping the glass of Jenova's housing with a clawed finger. Chaos growled at the alien woman, repeating the same intentions of "tearing is into pieces and letting the Planet have Her fun with it." Vincent ignored the demon, for the most part.

"Yeah. I want to get a few things done at Shinra before I blow up the main reason why the Mako mixes Hojo makes are able to bind to SOLDIERs' DNA. Not that I need it, of course. I just need to make sure that one of the people that's important to this endeavor is strong enough to lift his own sword and not one of those weird mutated… _thingies_." He waved a hand toward the blobs of flesh and mako that were once Hojo's failed experiments. The reactor was different this time around: there wasn't a plaque with Jenova's name over the door, and there weren't massive steel doors guarding Jenova's chamber. Or a room full of documents in the manor. They checked. There was only the library full of forgeries that Hojo had based his research off of. There wasn't even a speck of information about Project S.

But walking in there, in the gloom of the reactor, still brought back all sorts of foul memories for Cloud. He half-expected to see the dried pools of blood where he and Zack had lain, dying. He could remember the way Sephiroth looked when he stood before his "mother", framed by the blueish-green light of the Mako. He could almost hear the fierce shriek of metal on metal when Sephiroth had torn the idol of Jenova away to reveal her true, twisted form.

_But none of that is going to happen this time around_, Cloud thought firmly, zipping up his duffel-bag full of clothes and other necessities and slinging it across his back. They'd already torched Shinra Mansion; it was no doubt burning down to a black clearing of charred ground as they stood there. Not even the underground laboratories would survive a fire fueled by materia, anger, and dry wood. The only things saved from that vile place were Vincent's Quicksilver and the one original book in the whole tainted library, a copy of _The History of the Ancients _that had no doubt once belonged to Gast, as written by a small group of professors many decades ago. It was the only thing worth saving, and that's only because it details the powers and abilities the Ancients once had, and Aerith would no doubt be able to use that.

If, of course, she was still alive this time around. Cloud desperately hoped she was.

Vincent followed Cloud out of the Reactor and into the cool mountain air. It would take them a week to get to Midgar, first stopping at Costa de Sol, then taking ship to Junon, then riding the train the rest of the way. It was _getting to Costa _that was going to be the hard part: the two of them were going to take a truck to Rocket Town, but the rest of the way to Costa was going to have to be a journey on foot.

The man that was to be their driver was still packing up when Cloud and Vincent reached him, seemingly oblivious to the chaos milling around him as a result of Shinra Manor catching aflame. Not that anyone was going to put it out: it was far enough from the town that the flames would not catch any other houses, and nobody really liked that place anyway. Cloud tossed his bag behind the seat in the cab and sat on the tailgate, watching the man load boxes into the truck; he had already waved off any attempts to assist.

Vincent watched in intrigue as a young woman walked hesitantly up to Cloud. Long black hair, a gentle face, a floral-patterned dress she was clearly uncomfortable in. Cloud seemed to recognize her, because he unconsciously tensed up in her presence. They talked for a bit, and Vincent tried not to listen, but… Once a Turk, always a Turk.

"So, you're leaving?" the girl asked, her voice small but not yet under VIncent's hearing. Cloud half-smiled grimly as he answered.

"Yeah, Tifa." So Tifa was her name. "I'm leaving for Shinra. I'm gonna be a hero, just like I said I would!" Cloud's voice was filled with such fake cheer, but it seemed to convince Tifa. She threw her arms around Cloud's shoulders in a hug, and the blonde tentatively hugged back.

"Good luck, Cloud." She pulled away and looked down, bashful, before finding her confidence again. "I don't want to see you back here until you're a SOLDIER, promise?"

Cloud laughed softly, nodding.

"Promise."

...

It was a long drive to Rocket Town.

Cloud felt a little bad about sitting in the cab when Vincent had to ride in the back, especially with how cold it could get with the wind blowing, but Vincent reminded him that Chaos wouldn't let him get sick, and that Cloud was still very much human despite Gaia's gifts, so Cloud shut up about it. The road was thankfully clear of monsters, though, so the drive wasn't as long as it would have been if it wasn't.

As soon as the truck stopped in Rocket Town, Cloud and Vincent were out and heading towards the nearest supply shop. They had weapons and a few Summons Materia and a little gil, but Cloud wasn't comfortable with a gun and didn't feel like using his fists all the way to Costa de Sol, and summoning Odin or Shiva every time they had to battle would quickly become taxing. So they spent what little gil they had on a simple sword, a Blizzard1, and a Cure1. They could level them up easily on the road.

Cloud wanted to stop by Cid's house, to see if the airshipman was still working on that rocket of his, was still doing okay, but he knew that probably wouldn't be a good idea. No one knew him anymore. He had to keep reminding himself of that.

So without lingering any longer, Cloud and Vincent set off from Rocket Town towards Costa, and from there, Midgar.


	4. Middangar and Shinra

**Yooooo! Welcome back. Not much going on this week. Just wait a little longer... Please R&amp;R! **

**Word count: 1,136**

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**Chapter 4: Middangar and Shinra**

According to Vincent- now and in the past-future- Shinra had built Midgar over the once-beautiful village of Middangar, a place once surrounded by fertile land and greenery.

But, watching the scenery pass from through the windows of the train, Cloud saw none of that legacy. The land around Midgar was a wasteland, a desert sporting a few stunted trees at best. Nothing that even suggested the land had once been fertile, much less a forest. Cloud knew that if one were to take soil samples, they'd find nothing wrong with the soil around Midgar. But nothing would grow either. The Lifestream simply… didn't flow there, not with the reactors drawing it into the city, and Midgar did boast _eight_ reactors.

Cloud could see the pain on Vincent's face- as well hidden as it was- as he, too, watched the desert roll by. It was clear to Cloud that the changes around Midgar had an effect on the ex-Turk. Maybe they'd be able to restore the land around Midgar to what it was, once all of this was over? There was a good chance of that, especially if Aerith learned from Gast's book and was able to ease the Lifestream back into it's original flow sooner than it would take naturally.

The plan to bring down Shinra Electric Power Company wasn't so much to bring it down as it was to change it. Blowing up reactors did more harm than good, and why blow them up when one could change Shinra from the inside, get them to _shut down_ the reactors in favor of safer alternatives, _and_ prevent them from building any more. And this time, it was a viable option for Cloud. He just needed to get enough important people on his side.

The first would have to be Reeve Tutsi. The man was smart, cunning, and cared greatly about the Planet and its inhabitants. He would no doubt at least listen to Cloud's story, if not believe him. And, it _was_ rumored that he and Rufus Shinra were a _thing_, so that would definitely help in swaying him. Which would come later and passively. Hopefully.

Next, they would have to start driving a wedge between Sephiroth- the whole trio, if they got there in time- and the scientists. Enough of a wedge that Sephiroth would begin to doubt Hojo's word, and that Genesis and Angeal would not turn to Hollander for the cure to degradation. Hopefully, if they played their cards right, degradation wouldn't even begin to come to pass: Cloud and his mother had worked together to create the cure to degradation, a mixture of Cloud's blood and pure Mako from the springs, that would purify the tainted Jenova cells in the two SOLDIERs bodies. All he had to do was find a way to get it in them.

Meanwhile, Vincent would rejoin the Turks and get them aligned with Reeve and Rufus. Despite being one of Hojo's escaped experiments, the Turks was probably the safest place for Vincent to be: Veld had lost his partner once, he wasn't likely to let it happen again. And, if not Veld, then Tseng would probably be unwilling to let the legendary Turk go. His schoolboy crush was obvious to anyone who knew how to read him and had the guts to say it out loud.

Finally, so long as they already had Rufus on their side, all that was left was to take out the President and put Rufus in his place. Rufus would then take Reeve's suggestion to look for alternative energy sources, and things would fall into line from there.

Hopefully.

The train began to slow to a stop on the Plate, and Cloud felt the nervousness building up in his stomach again. He was ready for this, but he most definitely wasn't looking forward to it.

Vincent slipped through the doors just in front of Cloud, looking back wordlessly but with a pointed look before blending with the crowd heading towards the slums. Cloud got the message, though: _good luck, don't do anything stupid._ Cloud knew Vincent would do the same.

Cloud took a deep breath, then turned and started up the stairs towards Shinra Tower.

Shinra Tower, the headquarters of the multi-_billion_ dollar company, was _sixty-six_ stories on the main building, not to mention an additional five buildings at least twenty stories apiece. And every single floor, every room, had a purpose. Quite a bit of it was devoted to office cubicles and housing space for SOLDIERs, but there were also training facilities and materia/weapons storage rooms and rooms- or even entire floors- devoted to scientific research and advancement.

Altogether, it was quite the impressive sight.

Cloud did his best to ignore the shadow it cast over him as he headed towards the doors to register. Most young people were filing in through the right-side door, leaving the left-side door free for actual employees- or the occasional impatient Cadet- to move in and out of. Left for Turks, right for SOLDIERs, as they liked to say, though Cloud wasn't certain that which door you entered through actually had any effect on whether or not you got into the Turks. He could see Reno's fiery hair entering through the left door, so he guessed it had at least some merit, for being the lucky door for Turk potentials if nothing else.

Cloud still didn't take his chances, and entered through the right-side door with almost everyone else.

About thirty minutes, three sets of paperwork, a photograph, and a bus ride later, Cloud was standing in front of the Cadet barracks, holding two new sets of uniforms (the rest were to be delivered to his rooms later) and a bag full of half a dozen textbooks, the information in which Cloud probably already knew.

The CO had the Cadets line up, and Cloud ended up squished between Reno and a kid he didn't remember and probably didn't want to know; he was clearly eastern-continent, probably Junon or Kalm, one of those big guys who thought they were all that. He'd probably end up getting schooled in the first week that, if you were from a city part- especially eastern- you really weren't as leveled as you liked to think. Cloud without Gaia's Gifts could probably show him up at the moment, simply because backwater westerns started at a much higher level than eastern city-folk.

"Alright, Civies!" the CO bellowed, and the last of the chattering Cadets shut up real quick. "Let's get this done and let's get this done fast. I, for one, have the weekend off, and I don't feel like using half of that sleeping off the strain of having to deal with you brats!"

Cloud had the feeling it was going to be a long week.


	5. Of Friends and Foes

**Bluh. Last week was not a good week. But I live! And I have returned with new content!**

**Word count: 1,169**

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**Chapter 5: Of Friends and Foes**

Cloud resisted the urge to groan as he stepped into the tiny barracks quarters he shared with five other Cadets. The room was definitely _not _built for cramming in three bunk beds- staggered to take up less space but still claiming the bulk of it- and six Cadets' personal effects. But it did, and, at the moment, Cloud was just thankful it was empty of his roommates so he could have at least a moment of private time. It was still terribly messy, but at least he was alone.

_Now_ Cloud remembered why he hated teenagers.

The last five days had simultaneously been the best and worst five days of Cloud's new life. He _hated_ orientation, for one. He also highly disliked having to play it down during training so that he didn't attract any unwanted attention, which proved to be harder than he first expected it to be. A particular incident with the explosion of an unleveled fire materia (after Cloud had purposely not even tried to cast anymore- though he _still_ cast better than most his class- and made it look like an accident, the teacher had written it off as just that, and Cloud had been allowed to continue in that class) had earned Cloud all sorts of unwelcome attention from some of the other Cadets who hadn't even been able to make a spark, mostly in the form of bullying and beating. Which Cloud took, because he was too afraid he was going to accidentally hurt one of them if he fought back.

But, at the same time, Cloud was happy to finally be able to get moving. He felt like he'd spent too long in Nibelheim, even though he had been too young to really do anything. Now that he was actually _doing stuff_, actually _making progress_, he was almost overjoyed.

Reno was quickly becoming Cloud's friend, despite the blonde's resistance. The red-headed Turk-to-be was persistent, and it was beginning to finally break down some of the barriers Cloud had tried to construct between them. Cloud was about ready to give in and let them be "friends". It would prove to be interesting, if nothing else.

Genesis and Angeal were still alive. Just that fact alone made Cloud want to collapse in a heap crying. He couldn't tell if the memories he had of them were his or Zack's, but whoever they belonged to had clearly been very close to them. Seeing them alive and well made Cloud's heart ache. He wanted to be close to them again, but he couldn't. At least, not at the moment. Not as a Cadet.

Zack was alive. That fact made Cloud more relieved than anything, if only if this time was _his_ turn to save the spiky-haired young SOLDIER. Cloud wasn't going to let him die this time. Not again.

Aerith was as well as she could be. Vincent delivered the book, which she apparently accepted with abundant amounts of joy. After the ex-now-reinstated-Turk explained to her what was going on, she immediately promised to help in any way she could. It was reassuring to know that the last remaining Ancient had not been changed too much either.

The only one Cloud had not seen much of was Sephiroth. He'd been at orientation, to give a speech about honor or pride as a SOLDIER or something like that. Cloud hadn't actually been paying attention to the words being spoken. He was more focused on the fact that Sephiroth had looked… Well, for lack of a better term, _human_ up there on the podium. Sure, he looked stiff and awkward and uncomfortable and talked a little mechanically, but that was the _point_. He wasn't the bat-shit insane, overconfident megalomaniac from Cloud's memories. He was a little off his game and socially awkward and _human_.

That was probably the biggest relief for Cloud. That Sephiroth hadn't been insane before Jenova got her claws in him. That he was just a human looking for someone- _anyone_\- to show him an ounce of humanity in return.

Cloud shot Vincent a quick update on his smuggled-and-probably-illegal PHS, just telling him what he was planning to do and when, all in coded script that would actually look like a message from Vincent's boyfriend/girlfriend if one didn't actually look into it. Kind of embarrassing, but the quickest way to ensure no one was going to pry.

The screen lit up, ensuring a reply, and Cloud shoved the PHS underneath his mattress, collected his things, and slipped off before anyone poked their head into the room.

Cloud slipped down the hall, keeping out of the sight of the cameras. He wasn't technically skipping class,- he'd shown to have an "affinity" for Materia, and the Infirmary wanted to train him instead of the usual teachers- but he still wasn't all too fond of having his face on cameras. An old habit form AVALANCHE, he supposed.

The elevator beeped as Cloud swiped his pass, allowing him to use it during class time. He crossed his arms behind his back as he waited for it to reach his destination. Using pass, it was rather easy to get around, he conceded, even if it did take quite a bit of showing off and attention-getting to obtain it legally. He would have swiped it off a Turk, but, well… He wasn't looking to sign his death sentence just yet.

The doors hissed open, and Cloud stepped out into the sterile white of the Cadet Infirmary. Even if it wasn't as gloomy and eerie as the labs Hojo had once kept/will keep him in, it still made him angsty. It was still too clean, and the smell still reminded him of that place.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Cloud logged in for the hour and bustled off to assist the other nurses.

…

Vincent's PHS was already in hand when it buzzed. He did his best _not_ to hide his blush when he read the message. In truth, it was rather embarrassing, however necessary it was.

_Hey Vin! None of my plans have changed, so we still on for tonight?~ I'll make sure to bring the cash this time, so don't worry about paying. Also, do you think you could pick up my prescription when you get the chance? _

So, Cloud was planning on checking the financial records for the Science Department that night? Vincent tapped out a quick reply before sliding the device back into his pocket. It wasn't a bad plan: it wasn't near as risky as trying to check the actual projects, especially since that information was kept solely on the lab computers, and the money could definitely tell what Hojo was doing down there.

"Hey, Grim! You done chatting up your girlfriend yet, yo? Let's _go!_"

Vincent tucked his face into his collar and moved to catch up with the other Turk. It'd work, yeah. Vincent just wished there was a less embarrassing way of getting the message across.


	6. Exactly as Planned

**New chapter, new content, a few bombs dropped. Not, literal bombs. Actual explosions come later. As always, read and review to tell me what you think!**

**Word count: 1,175**

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**Chapter 6: Exactly as Planned**

"I'm telling you, Kunsel, I don't know anything about it!"

"It's SOLDIER Second Class Kunsel to you, Cadet Jakobs, and I'm telling you I don't believe a damn word of that."

Kunsel slid the- admittedly thin- manila folder across the metal desk to the Cadet, but kept his hand on it, bearing down on the Cadet intimidatingly.

"You see, Cadet," he said sweetly, "I'm a SOLDIER before I'm a Turk. So if Tseng has the nuts to call _me_ on _my_ day off in the middle of _my_ spa treatment, then you had best start praying that anything _you_ have to give me was well worth the fucking trouble." Kunsel let the threat sink in for a moment as the Cadet cringed in his chair before straightening and crossing his arms across his chest. "Now, two nights ago there was a breach of security. I want to know where you were that night."

"I was in my room!" the Cadet exclaimed. Kunsel raised a doubtful eyebrow, and he all but shrunk in his chair. "I swear it! I was in my room. I did my work for my class, then tried to get some shut-eye! I didn't leave until the morning!"

"Your definition of morning or mine?" The Cadet flinched, and Kunsel internally smirked. "You know, your story really isn't holding too much water right now." Kunsel picked up the folder and flipped it open. There wasn't really more than the basics,- they didn't know more than the basics- but Kunsel was using it more as a scare tactic than anything else, really. "One person seen leaving the Floor 56 Terminal Room. Approximately 5'2", wearing full Cadet uniform including helmet, the only telling mark being the nametag on his uniform. Not a lot of Cadets are that short, and it was _your_ name on that uniform." The folder didn't make a resounding click when Kunsel closed it, much to his disappointment, but it had the same effect. "Are you trying to tell me it _wasn't_ you?"

"It wasn't me!" the Cadet insisted, his voice breaking. Kunsel sighed, tapped the edge of the folder against the metal table a few times, then walked out without another word.

"It wasn't him." Tseng raised an eyebrow at the SOLDER's firm announcement.

"And you're sure?"

"Positive. He doesn't read like that kinda guy. If he knew anything, he would have spilled already." A moment of silence as the two men debated, then Kunsel asked, "What about the other guy."

"He has an alibi supported by quite a few witnesses," Tseng admitted with a sigh. "Cadet Strife checked in for the night shift at the Infirmary, as witnessed by a number of the other nurses. He left about one in the morning, about a half an hour after our mysterious security breach." Tseng crossed his arms and shook his head. "It all checks out. He can't be our guy."

Kunsel flipped open the folder and re-read its contents, trying to find something he might have missed before. But nothing jumped out at him. In fact, it all looked almost too ordinary, as far as security breaches could go. In and out, computer wiped clean, no fingerprints, only a grainy camera image of the suspect leaving- it was all just about textbook.

It unnerved Kunsel to no end.

"I'm going to do some more digging," Kunsel told Tseng cheerfully, closing the folder and turning to the door. "Keep me updated."

…

Cloud tried his hardest to keep his face blank as he was led out of the interrogation room. It was almost too easy, getting the information, tricking the Turks. Actually, it was kind of pathetic. They would change a lot over the next two years to become the Turks Cloud remembered, and he had no doubt the mass defection of SOLDIER had a hand to play in that last time. He'd leave Vincent to find a way to instigate the change this time around. He didn't have time to be babysitting grown men and women.

The more concerning matter at the moment was what Cloud had learned from the financial records.

Hojo- or, at least, the Science Department in general, Cloud just assumed it was Hojo- was receiving a huge amount of funding, but only a relative miniscule part of it was being focused on things like SOLDIER upkeep and research. Other small chunks of it were being re-routed to smaller projects, but the bulk of it seemed to be focused on one Project LAZARUS. A number of private contributors had been listed, mostly other big corporations that were branches of Shinra under a different name and head.

What caught Cloud's attention was that one Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER, was listed as one of the funders. It wasn't very much money and he was listed towards the end where he could easily be overlooked, but he was there. Which meant that, whatever this was, it had something to do with SOLDIER as a whole or a choice few SOLDIERs, and either was the Director wanted to have a hand in it and be able to see what exactly was going on.

Cloud had the feeling that this Project LAZARUS wasn't just Hojo's doing. In the past-future, Lazard had been funding Hollander, not Hojo, but Cloud had never learned what the funding had been for beyond the fact that it had something to do with degradation. Perhaps this was it? Which would mean…

Hollander and Hojo knew about the degradation before it even began in Genesis. A sickening thought, but… Now that Cloud knew, it kind of made sense. If Hollander knew about the degradation beforehand, he would have had time to set up bases in the "abandoned" laboratories, and time to plan out stealing all that equipment from the Science Department. That is, if he wasn't stealing it bit-by-bit, and the company just didn't realize it until _after_ he had vanished with Genesis. After all, it wasn't that odd for a few random pieces of equipment to go missing from time to time…

Gears in his head whirling, Cloud shot Vincent a quick message on his PHS the moment he got back to his room before rushing off to the Infirmary. This information came with a whole new set of questions, a lot more than it had answered. Cloud just hoped the answers could be found before the events leading up to Nibelheim could be set in motion.

…

Vincent's PHS buzzed, the screen lighting up. He tapped it, opening the message.

_**From: CSDelivery**_

_I've got some new stuff for you. It's not good, but it's what you asked for. I need to give it to you in person. Meet me at the Church in a couple days and I'll drop it off._

'What you asked for.' Read as: what _we_ asked for. Which means it had something to do with what Cloud found in the financial records.

Whatever it was Cloud had to tell him, it wasn't going to be good, was it?


	7. Her Most Holy

**Welcome back! I realize it's been more than three months since the last update (to new followers, I'm wondering how you found this thing in the sea of stories that is FF7), but I'm finally back with new content. This is looking to be about 22 chapters in the main piece, with possible one or two side-stories that I will either post separately or tack onto the end. That being said, I've tried to keep chapter length pretty consistent up to this point, but further chapters will range anywhere from 1,000 words to 2,500, even 3,000 words, depending on how much shit goes down.**

**A quick shoutout to all my followers and reviewers, to name a few: ShadetheHero, for being here practically since the start, Beloved Daughter, for lovely reviews, and Skyray, a guest who reminded me that a new chapter was long overdue.**

**Word count: 1,025**

**Warnings: none?**

**As always, read and tell me what you think!**

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**Chapter 7: Her Most Holy**

"So, how did you make it look like you were in two places at once?"

Cloud looked up at Aerith from his place among the flowers- well, not really among the flowers, he'd crush them like that. More like right beside the flowers, on a patch of dirt that Aerith had uncovered to plant more flowers. But he was close enough to the flowers to make it seem as though he were lying among them, and that was enough.

"Air ducts, Aerith. I was only a floor below the terminals, and you can crawl into those things from the stairwell." Cloud wrinkled his nose in disgust as he thought back on it. "You get horribly dusty, though. Someone needs to think about cleaning those things."

"I'm not sure anyone considers crawling around in there but you, Strife." Cloud flipped Vincent off almost casually, eyes still closed as he basked in the relative warmth of the soil beneath him. Ground where neither Lifestream nor sun touched was always cold, Cloud had learned. Simply knowing that there was still Lifestream coursing beneath him, even if it was only under Aerith's prompting, was a huge weight lifted off his shoulders for a time.

"I don't think anyone else is small enough too," Aerith remarked almost innocently, and Cloud could only half-glare at her as she unleashed the full effects of her big blue-green eyes onto him.

"That's not fair," he grumbled, letting his head thunk back against the dirt. Aerith giggled, and even Vincent chuckled.

Vincent was only barely able to get away at the first near-silent creak of the church doors opening; Cloud was not so lucky. He shot upright at the clunk of boots against the floorboards.

"Aerith! I'm home!"

Zack. Zackary Fair, Cloud's once and future friend. He looked just like Cloud remembered- granted, Cloud didn't remember him very well. He was missing was the cross-shaped scar on his cheek, and his hair was a bit shorter, but aside from that, nothing had changed. There was the same boundless enthusiasm in his voice, the same bounce in his step.

"Oh, Zack!" Aerith squeaked, spinning around in surprise. "I didn't know you were coming down today!"

"Neither did I," Zack admitted, rubbing the back of his head in a kind of embarrassed way. "I was just down here for a patrol, and when I got off I realized that, hey, I wasn't really far from here, so I decided to swing you a visit!"

Cloud just stared at the couple in shock as they bantered, blue eyes wide as he tried to pull himself together. It took Zack a moment to notice him there.

"Who's your friend, Aerith?"

Aerith made a little surprised noise, jittering together a response, and Cloud scrambled to his feet when he realized he was being addressed. He brushed off his uniform frantically- _Odin and Shiva_, why had he decided to wear his uniform?- and snapped into attention.

"Uh, SOLDIER, sir!"

Zack tipped his head to the side in a puppy-like manner, a smile tugging at his lips, then finally broke into a laugh. "Oh, at ease Cadet," he said, waving Cloud off. "We're both off duty, there's no reason you should have to salute me." Cloud dropped his salute jerkily, and Aerith giggled.

"Oh, Cloud. This is Zack. Zack, this is Cloud." Zack bounded up to Cloud happily, beaming. Cloud took an unconscious step back, stopping just short of trampling the flowers. Zack stopped immediately, and Cloud cursed himself for reacting in such an obvious way. Up close, the SOLDIER's aura was blinding, and Cloud was almost overwhelmed by it.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna bite you or anything." Zack winked. "Unless you want me to, of course." Cloud choked on a cough. Aerith giggled. Zack laughed. "What are you doing down here anyway, kid? If I remember right, Cadets aren't allowed to go under the Plate."

"They can if they don't have class or duty, sir," Cloud corrected almost automatically, then ducked his head when he realized what he'd done. "I, uh, come down here to see Aerith sometimes. Or to… To visit some friends. They moved here a couple years ago."

"Ohhhh. Seriously? I thought they just said that to get me to go down with them without feeling guilty. But I guess it makes sense. Not many Cadets have the money for it, though." Zack's eyes glinted in the way that made Cloud distinctly uncomfortable, like he _knew_ Cloud was hiding something. He chuckled nervously, an awkward smile pulling at his lips.

"I, uh, don't really buy anything beyond the necessities on the Plate, so I normally have enough saved up to visit every month of so."

"And if he doesn't, I pay for him to come down!" Aerith exclaimed. "You really don't visit enough as it is, Cloud! I almost never get to see you. There's no way I'm letting you skip a month. If I can't, neither can you!"

Cloud choked, Zack and Aerith chuckled, and Aerith managed to drag Zack off onto another line of conversation. The next time she made eye contact with him, she winked conspiratorially, and Cloud sighed in relief. Thank Gaia for that woman- wit as sharp as the edge of a sword, and she always knew just when to use it. Cloud wasn't certain he'd have made it without her after the Plate fell, even if, for a long time, she was with them only in spirit.

He'd missed her. He'd missed her a lot. Being around her was kind of like having a really protective older sister. A really terrifying, tiger of a protective older sister. He was more than glad he got to really get to know her this time around.

The moment Cloud got the chance, he slipped out of the church, got his ticket from Vincent, and went back up to the Plate. It would be some time before he'd be ready to be friends with Zack again. As much as he wanted to, he just… wasn't quite ready yet.

But someday soon, he hoped. He'd really missed Zack too.


	8. Stand and Fight

**Updating schedule? What updating schedule? I don't have a writing schedule, much less an updating schedule. **

**Read and tell me what you think!**

**Word count: 1,506**

**Warnings: Canon-typical Violence. That's about it. Should I put animal cruelty there to? A few monsters get beat up. **

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**Chapter 8: Stand and Fight**

Lazard folded his hands on the desk and eyed the three Cadets standing in attention with equal amounts of interest and pride.

"At ease, Cadets," he instructed. The two larger ones dropped immediately into more relaxed poses, but the third one- the smaller one- stayed tense. It looked almost as though he were fingering something on his belt; upon closer inspection, Lazard found it to be a knife. _Looks like we have another Kunsel up and coming, _he thought fondly before shaking himself from his reprieve.

"As you know," he continued, catching the full attention of all three boys, "I've called you three in here because you have all shown great promise in training. Here, I'm going to give you a chance to really get some attention. Complete this mission successfully, and one or two of you might- and I specify, _might_\- be considered for advancement directly into the SOLDIER Program." Lazard paused a moment to let the weight of his words really set in. Once again, the reactions were split; the two larger ones suddenly looked tense, nervous, _scared,_ if Lazard didn't know better; the small one was calm, almost aloof, like he didn't have any fears about failing this mission.

Lazard slid the three folders across the table for the Cadets, just as he would if SOLDIERs were in place of the boys. "You will meet your observer in front of the building at oh-900. And, a word of advice? Don't be late. Kunsel is not the kind of man you want to make a bad first impression on."

He grinned as even the little one shuddered.

Oh-847, and only one of them had shown up. Kunsel sat on the steps leading down to the road, tapping his fingers to the beat of the playlist running in his head. The one Cadet that had shown- the short one, from Lazard's description of them, Strife- was standing against a pillar not far from the SOLDIER Second Class, two broadswords across his back, cleaning his nails with a rather wicked looking knife.

"Pretty blade you've got there," Kunsel noted. Strife's head snapped up before he nodded softly. When he didn't give a response, Kunsel pushed a bit. "Not something standard-issue, either. Where'd you get it?"

"My mom made it for me," Strife said gruffly.

"Your mother?" Kunsel shot back, a smirk tugging at his lips as he tried to grab at the strings Strife was offering. Strife shrugged.

"She liked to make things from scraps. 'Wasting is a sin', as she'd always say."

Kunsel hummed, a smile growing on his lips as he found himself taping his fingers again. Something about this kid was familiar, comfortable…

"You're a friend of Zack's, right?" Strife- Cloud- nodded, and Kunsel smiled. "Thought I knew you. Trust me, this is gonna be fun."

Strife finally cracked a real smile, and Kunsel would cheer to that if he had any alcohol. Getting the boy to smile like that? It was quite the feat.

Oh-859, the other two Cadets finally arrived. Kunsel rose to his feet as they breathlessly burst through the front doors of the building, and Strife just sheathed his knife and took up a more defensive posture. Kunsel knew where the boy was coming from; as a small guy himself, he'd been on the receiving end of his own number of beatings at the hands of bullies. It was one of the other things he found he had in common with Strife, the tenacity to continue despite having your face smashed in the dirt.

"Right on time, Cadets," Kunsel announced loudly, making the two newcomers flinch at the sarcastic edge of it. "But you'll learn quick that in SOLDIER, 'right on time' should mean 'five to ten minutes early'. The only reason I'm letting you off this time is because, as Cadets, you guys couldn't have known that. If I was a First? They'd probably have left you behind by now. So let's go." He stood and moved without waiting, letting the Cadets catch up. The others fall in behind, but Strife? Strife fell in beside Kunsel, daring and unafraid as they boarded the train.

And gods above did Kunsel hate trains. He loved most forms of transportation, anything that moves fast and gets the blood pumping. But trains? Man, screw trains. He hated the things with a passion to rival Sephiroth's hatred of Hojo, and that was saying something. Kunsel sat across from the two other Cadets- Johnson and Carmack, finally got their damn names- and beside Strife, taking apart the larger pieces of his gun and putting them back together as he tried to tune out Johnson's and Carmack's chattering. It was nervous drabble, no doubt, just something to ease their nerves, but that didn't mean it couldn't be annoying.

Kunsel found the distinct _shing_ of Cloud's blade as he ran it across a whetstone much more comforting.

They made it down to the last train stop, at the very edge of the desert, and Kunsel frowned at the sight spread out in front of him. He'd only seen pictures of Midgar- Middangar as it was then- before the life sapped from the land, but still the wasteland that stretched around the city made him distinctly… sad. He shook off the feeling quickly, though, getting into his work mindset. They had a mission to complete.

"Alright, boys," he called, bringing the Cadets into line. "We've got a pack of Kalm Beasts who've made their nest a bit too close to the city. Our job is to take them out. Remember- eyes open. These things like to burrow, and I don't fancy dragging one of you guys back in pieces. Or all of you." Cloud snorted, but the other two Cadets didn't seem to find the amusement in the statement.

"They aren't _that_ deadly, are they?" Carmack asked tentatively. Kunsel had an answer already on his tongue, but Strife beat him to it.

"Any monster can be deadly, given the right circumstances. Look at it this way- you're not facing Midgar Zoloms or Nibel Wolves or dragons of any kind."

Kunsel smirked, nodding in Strife's direction. "Well put, Cadet. To summarize what he just said," he turned to the other two, "whatever's big, there's always something bigger."

If only he knew how accurate that statement was about to be.

They took down the pack of Kalm Beasts fairly easily; they'd obviously been around mako of some kind (and nothing in Midgar could claim it had never been around mako of some kind) and were pretty thick-skinned, but (even though, technically, it was illegal) the Strife kid was pretty adept with the fire materia he had brought with him. It was amazing how fast those stupid, sticky-black-bleeding bags of shit went down when they were set on fire. Kunsel hated Kalm Beasts, too. As a matter of fact, he mused as he poked at one of the beasts with his foot, he hated a lot of things in Midgar. If he could make a list…

The ground trembled under his feet. The two larger Cadets looked around wildly for the source, but Kunsel and Strife turned in the same direction. Johnson and Carmack, noticing their sudden stillness, turn their focus with them.

A Behemoth. Kunsel cursed every god, goddess, and deity in his book as he readied his pistol, checked the materia stored within, cursed himself for not bringing a damned sword, and ordered the Cadets behind him.

"Try not to run in a straight line," Strife warned from beside Kunsel. The SOLDIER looked to him, pleasantly surprised that the Cadet handed off his second sword to him and drew that wicked knife from his belt. "It makes you a harder target to hit. Against one of these, you'll need that. Aim for the eyes!" he ordered to the other two Cadets. "SOLDIER Kunsel and I will try to give you a shot!"

Kunsel gave Cloud an approving look, measuring the boy up, then shrugged. At least he'd be fighting nest to someone, and not taking the brunt of the attacks himself. That, and it was always more fun to fight next to someone. He clicked the safety off on his materia pistol, eyeing the Behemoth with poorly restrained glee. "Ready, Strife?!" he crowed. He heard Strife sigh beside him, but felt the boy ready his weapons.

"As I'll ever be."

And with that confirmation, they rushed forward with all the restraint of angry dragons. Fighting with Cloud felt _familiar_, like Kunsel had been doing it all his life. Never before had a fight been so _exhilarating_, and that's taking into account the one time he fought with Zack against a Summons. They moved as one, spinning and flipping around the Behemoth, faster than the lumbering beast could follow. And while Kunsel had never really had a preference for a sword, this time, with a blade in his hands, he felt like he was _dancing_.

He almost regretted that it was over so soon.


	9. Not Alone in This

**I would like to inform you all that this story has more views than it has words. I am so proud...**

**Here. Have a treat. Normally I'd wait a full seven days before posting another one, but this is an achievement.**

**Word count: 1,342**

**Warnings: Gore, slight harsh language, feels.**

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**Chapter 9: Not Alone in This**

"Oh, that's disgusting," Carmack said, watching Strife bury his hand in the stomach of the dead Behemoth that he'd cut open with his knife (his sword had, unfortunately, broken off in the beast's head). Cloud had to admit, it _was_ pretty disgusting. But it was also necessary.

"Monsters pick up lots of stuff in their binge-feeding," Cloud noted, feeling around a little bit more. "I don't know about you, but I'm more than willing to get my hands dirty if it means getting something valuable. I found a materia bangle in the stomach of a wolf once. Nice thing. I still use it, too." There was something…

He flicked stomach contents of a ball of materia, very, very pleased with himself. It felt like a Cura or an Esuna. Something heal-y. "Nice find, Strife," Kunsel said happily, peering over his shoulder. He sniffed once, however, and scowled. "Best get rid of any fabric that touched the stomach acid before it gets on your skin, though. The stuff burns like crap."

Cloud nodded, beginning the process of cutting off the tainted fabric even as they walked. He could feel the others eyes on him, more the Cadets' than Kunsel's. It made his skin crawl, being judged as he no doubt was. He had, after all, just kept up with a SOLDIER Second-Class blow-for-blow against a _Behemoth_. And he was hardly even wounded from it. Tired, yes. Sore, yes. But not injured in any serious way.

That, or they could just be staring at him because he'd lost his helmet in the fight, and his golden blonde hair shone like a Gaia-damned beacon in direct sunlight.

"Kunsel?" he called softly, catching the SOLDIER's attention without alerting the other two Cadets. They gave him odd looks as they passed and Kunsel fell behind, but Kunsel ordered them to go to the train station ahead and wait.

"What do you need, Cadet Strife?" he asked once the other two were out of earshot. Cloud rubbed the back of his head, acting a bit embarrassed.

"I was wondering if I could make a stop under the Plate before I go up top and put in my report. My boyfriend's in town, and I don't know how long he's going to be here, so-"

"Go ahead, Strife," Kunsel said with a smile. "I get it. I'll write up an extra report for you if you're not back in time." The SOLDIER paused, pouting a moment, then shook his head. "Just don't stay too long." He ruffled Cloud's hair. "I don't want to have to do all of your work along with correcting these kids'."

Cloud faked an overjoyed smile, and Kunsel waved as the Cadet ran off.

Arguing voices greeted him as he approached the church.

"I'm telling you, Maria, that might not actually be the best idea." Angry. When was the last time Cloud had heard Zack angry? Not any time recently, that's for sure.

"Well, what do you suggest, little SOLDIER?" Sarcastic. _Caustically_ sarcastic. And people wondered where Cloud got his prickly nature from. Actually, they could keep wondering, because he wasn't going to let a single one of them meet his mother. That honor- or torture, depending on the impression one made- was reserved for only his closest of friends.

"Not that. Genesis isn't going to like take likely to being told what to do." This again? Really?

"Well, he's going to have to get used to it." Blunt. But true. Kind of.

Cloud didn't even knock, just let himself in silently and didn't say a word as he watched Zack try to argue with Marian Strife.

"And how can you be sure they're not going to just lash out at us, huh?" Zack asked almost harshly, arms crossed across his chest. Clearly he was trying to mimic Ave Maria's pose, but the short blonde woman was tough as nails and would always be more intimidating in Cloud's eyes. She tapped a foot, the sound atrociously loud in the arches of the church.

"They trust you, do they not?"

"You're talking about asking them to betray Shinra! It could get them killed!"

"What could kill the three legendary Firsts now that degradation is not a threat?" Marian asked, the edge of her voice lashing Zack like a dog. "Unless the rumors and reports I had been sent were all exaggerations." Zack looked offended, and Marian grinned, all teeth and terror. "They are Shinra's greatest menace, should they defect. Let's use it."

"You say that like they're tools!"

"You're talking to a former Turk, Zack," Cloud finally butted in, schooling his face into the mask his mother had taught him. "She'll treat me like a tool if it means achieving the endgame she desires. At least she has a conscious." Marian winced, the words hitting home, but did nothing to deny the accusations flying from her child's mouth. He wasn't wrong; she'd taught him not to be. "But she's got a point. Shinra couldn't stay in one piece if the three Firsts left. Hewley was- _is_\- a role-model. Sephiroth practically commands all of SOLDIER. Rhapsodos is about the only one who can whip the Infantry in line. With them and Rufus, we could overthrow all of Shinra without anyone ever having to know."

"And how do you propose we get them to agree to that?!" Zack looked exasperated- Cloud didn't blame him. They'd been having this argument since the Firsts' last mako treatments, when they'd managed to slip in that damned cure. The way Cloud saw it, the next step to saving those three was to start prying them away from Shinra's now-less-than-iron grip. Vincent and Marian saw it the same way. Zack… wasn't quite convinced.

"Leave that to me."

Cloud whirled around, startled by the new voice. A man stood in the doorway, dressed in SOLDIER Second garbs, a helmet under his arm. Cloud was certain he'd remember a man with snowy-white hair like that, but that voice sounded so familiar…

"Kunsel, what the hell man?!" Zack protested loudly, and Cloud took a step back. Kunsel was back in the Shinra building, filing reports. He couldn't be here, under the plate, talking to them. He couldn't be this violet-blue eyed man daring them to turn him away.

"Gast's child," Marian accused, though there really wasn't any heat in it. In fact, she almost sounded… Surprised. One long, bony finger pointing at Kunsel. "Just about the only person who could get away with that kind of hair. You're the one they called the 'Keeper'."

"The one and only," Kunsel said, arms wide. "Like I was saying- me and Zack? It should be no problem getting the three Firsts on our side." He sauntered forward as he spoke, until he could plop down on the front row of pews. "Genesis already had doubts about Shinra. Angeal will follow his friend. Sephiroth hates Shinra with a passion, but… it's all he knows. We show him a new way, and he's not going to stay loyal to the good President." Cloud stared into Kunsel's eyes, trying to figure out what seemed so familiar about them, until the Second's face twisted with a smile and a relieved sigh.

"If I wasn't beat to crap at the moment," Kunsel breathed, reaching out to Cloud with one, trembling hand, "I'd hug you. Gods above, I missed you."

Kunsel let out an audibly pained grunt as Cloud rushed to squeeze him in a too-tight hug. How long had it been since they'd seen each other, really _seen_ each other, not just their past selves that were hardly even recognizable as the people they once knew? "Whoa, Cloudy. Watch the bruises! I did just nearly get my ass kicked by a Behemoth."

"You're here," Cloud whispered almost reverently, like he didn't want to believe it. "You're here."

With a smile and a soft laugh, Kunsel ran a hand through Cloud's hair. "Yeah, Blondie," he murmured, sighing happily. "I'm here."


	10. It All Comes Together

**Aaaand, the explanation chapter. Sorta. **

**I'm not going to explain Kunsel's relation to Doctor Gast Faremis yet, that comes later. What Zack and Marian were arguing about in the last chapter is moving forward in this chapter, so if you can put two and two together you'll see why Zack was fairly upset (after all, what they're doing could make them Public Enemy #1 in Shinra's book).**

**Kunsel's description comes from a personal headcanon of mine. Since he never wants to remove his helmet in-game, I always assumed either A) there was something beneath the helmet that he didn't want anyone to see (i.e. a scar or something he was ashamed of). or B) his looks beneath his helmet were too recognizable, and he wanted to keep on the down-low. This one plays off of headcanon B: Gast, canonically, has brown hair and ash mauve (grey-purple) eyes. Kunsel would have gotten some traits from his mother (his light-blonde hair, for example), but the resemblance would have still been telling. If Kunsel didn't want anyone to tie him to the now-deceased doctor, he'd have to hide that. **

**That being said, the last chapter was meant to be a little confusing, but not that confusing. Just tell me if it is, and I'll see what I can do about making it more clear.**

**Word count: 1,383**

**Warnings: Illness in detail, mention of needles, feels.**

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**Chapter 10: It All Comes Together**

Cloud stared up at the underside of the Plate with a kind of happy contentment. No, they hadn't gotten anywhere on their argument about bringing the three Firsts into this. No, they hadn't even begun to discuss how they were going to get rid of Hojo and the President and the other corrupt officials and find a way to shut down mako reactors safely. But at the moment, he really didn't care.

Kunsel was here. He was here, very much alive and very much conscious of all he had done in the once-future. For the longest time there, Cloud had thought he was alone in all of this. He had never been so glad to be proven wrong. Kunsel had been one of the few friends outside of AVALANCHE he'd had in the past-future that truly knew what he had gone through. The snowy-haired SOLDIER had been nothing but supportive, caring, a smiling face whenever Cloud was breaking. Even when the Geostigma hit, the ex-SOLDIERs being those affected the worst, Kunsel had never given up. Not on Cloud.

And there was no one else Cloud would rather be stuck in the past with.

"I didn't know you were Gast's kid," Cloud murmured, tucking himself against Kunsel's side. It still irked him that he was smaller than the snowy-haired SOLDIER, but it was water under the bridge at this point.

"And I didn't know your mother was a former-Turk. We never knew everything about each other, Cloud. It's why this worked." Kunsel paused, then let out a kind of self-deprecating laugh that Cloud more felt than heard. "But, to be fair, I do know a lot more about you than you know about me."

And Cloud didn't even care. That, too, was water under the bridge at this point. Kunsel was _here_, _alive_, and he _remembered_. That was all Cloud cared about.

It took a long time for either of them to get up the energy and willpower to move away from each other. On Cloud's part, it was… well, he got like this sometimes, when there was something almost too good to be true right in front of him. He'd gotten like this when he first saw his mother again too. Clingy. Frightened, almost, that it would disappear beneath his very fingers at any given moment.

Not that he'd admit that to anyone. And not that Kunsel was complaining. He'd missed the little blonde that had all but attached himself to his side, and was ready to take every opportunity to make up for lost time.

But now was not such opportunity. Now, they had to get back to Shinra.

They had work to do.

…

Genesis sat patiently in one of the hard plastic chairs outside the Science Division, waiting for Hollander to be ready to see him. One his side of the room, there were the few people here to see Hollander today; on the other side of the room, there were those here to see Professor Hojo. There weren't that many- a calm-looking girl with steel in her eyes, a SOLDIER no doubt here for his monthly injection, and a…

A rather ill-looking, blonde Cadet who no doubt just had his first injections. Even in the small space that was the waiting area, the others seemed reluctant to sit anywhere close to the sick Cadet. Genesis's eyes flicked to the clock for a mere second before he stood and made his way across the room to crouch beside the Cadet.

"Did you not have anyone to pick you up?" he asked softly, clearly startling the boy. Clouded blue eyes blinked open in alarm as the boy tried to flinch back and only succeeded in causing himself more pain. Genesis's hand's moved to hover over the boy's shoulders, not touching but there if he needed to. He asked his question again, and the blonde Cadet finally seemed to hear him.

"No," the Cadet whispered hoarsely. "Friends on missions. Everyone else still sick. Didn't want to… bother anyone." Genesis sighed sharply. Of course, the boy had to be a martyr of sorts. _Not wanting to bother anyone_.

The door to Hollander's office opened, and Genesis whirled on the man quickly. "Reschedule it," he ordered with hardly any preamble. Hollander looked indignant.

"I can't just reschedule it! There are tests to run and-"

"Reschedule. It." Genesis made sure to use his "angry-cat voice", as Zack called it- the same voice he normally used with insubordinate Cadets. Even Hollander fell right into line. The scientist hurried off, muttering about bitchy attitudes and such.

Genesis turned back to the sick Cadet. Poor thing was drenched in sweat, and Genesis could see that the shivering was about to set in. _SOLDIERs take care of each other_. Those had been Genesis's words just as much as they had been Angeal's, even if he didn't say them near as often, and he was going to hold to them.

Gathering the boy carefully in his arms, Genesis began the tedious trek back to the SOLDIER floors.

…

Kunsel waited exactly forty-five minutes before heading down to Genesis's office. Their ploy to gain his friendship- or , for Cloud to gain his friendship, since Kunsel pretty much already had it- was actually fairly simple; Genesis was fond of small, cute things, and Kunsel was certain Cloud fell right into that category. Cloud probably wouldn't appreciate being called _small_ and _cute_ later, but it was insignificant compared to how far this would go in securing his friendship with the three Firsts.

Forty-eight minutes, Kunsel knocked on Genesis's door, not even waiting for the response before letting himself in. It was a normal thing between the two of them- Genesis had a habit of barging into Kunsel's room at the most inappropriate of times, so Kunsel had made a game of doing the same to the fiery First.

But the moment he stepped into Genesis's office, he stopped cold in his tracks. Said fiery First was kneeling beside the leather couch in his office, trying to coax a reluctant- and no doubt violently ill- Cadet to drink a potion, and Kunsel was completely unprepared for the surge of jealousy he felt at the sight of someone else doting over his Cloud. It was unreasonable, he knew, because Genesis wouldn't make a move on Cloud in a million years, and it wasn't that he and Cloud were anything close to _committed_ but that didn't stop him from feeling it.

He did his best to squish it down as he moved across the carpet to Genesis's and Cloud's side.

"There you are, Cloud," he said softly, as though he hadn't known where Cloud was this entire time. Genesis gave him a judgmental look, no doubt wondering where Kunsel had been while his friend was getting poked with needles and filled with the most corrosive substance to organic life in existence, and Kunsel shrugged defensively. "I just got back from a mission. Here's the report." He handed the file off to his superior, kneeling down on the carpet as he turned his attention back to Cloud. "Sorry I wasn't here, buddy," he cooed softly, brushing damp hair off of Cloud's forehead and smiling. "I hope GenGen wasn't too much of an ass."

"He can't hear you, you know," Genesis pointed out from his desk. Kunsel shrugged.

"I feel guilty, alright," he defended, trying and failing to keep the sharpness out of his voice. "I promised him either Zack or I would be here for his first injections, and both of us ended up having to go on a mission."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of one sick SOLDIER-to-be, you know."

Kunsel paused as though he didn't quite know what to say- which was partially true. He hadn't expected Genesis to warm up to Cloud so quickly, especially not before their first real conversation, but he wasn't about to look a gift Chocobo in the beak. "Sorry," he said, ducking his head. He left the empty potion bottle on the table beside the couch before moving to Genesis's desk to give his post-mission report. When he was done, Genesis glanced over to Cloud and smiled a bit.

"So, is that the little blonde Cadet Zack won't stop babbling about?"


End file.
